“The Bluest Eye” by acclaimed writer Toni Morrison is no longer allowed in Utah’s K-12 school libraries.
Morrison’s first novel was added to Utah’s statewide ban list Friday, along with three other titles. All four were deemed pornographic or indecent, as defined in state code, by at least three school districts, meeting the threshold for statewide ban under a 2024 state law.
The other books added to the list maintained by the Utah State Board of Education were “Life is Funny” by E.R. Frank, “The Haters” by Jesse Andrews and “People Kill People” by Ellen Hopkins.
Davis and Jordan school districts reported all four books. Washington County School was the third district to report “The Bluest Eye,” “Life is Funny” and “The Haters.” Tooele County School District reported Hopkins’ “People Kill People.”
Now, any school districts and charter schools that have those books in their school or classroom libraries have to remove the titles from their shelves.
There are now 32 books on the list, with four of those titles by Hopkins.
“The Bluest Eye,” published in 1970, tells the story of an 11-year-old Black girl named Pecola living in Ohio in the 1940s. Pecola comes from an abusive home where her father rapes her. She is convinced she’s ugly and wishes to have blue eyes, believing they would make her beautiful and accepted.
In interviews, Morrison said that she had a Black friend growing up who said she prayed for blue eyes. In the documentary “Toni Morrison: The Pieces I am,” Morrison said she wanted to show through the book that “this kind of racism hurts.”
The novel is frequently on the American Library Association’s annual list of most challenged books.
The other three books have also been banned or challenged in other parts of the country.
“The Haters,” a novel about young musicians on a road trip, is by the same author who wrote “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl,” also a film.
“Life is Funny” was the debut novel of psychotherapist E.R. Frank. It follows the lives of several teenagers in New York City as they grow over several years and deal with issues like alcoholism and abuse.
“People Kill People” by Ellen Hopkins centers around gun violence. At the beginning, a gun is sold to one of the six teenage characters. The question is which one. At the end, the gun is fired, and someone is killed.
Hopkins is one of the authors involved in a lawsuit against Utah over the state’s “sensitive materials” law. The suit accuses the state of violating the First Amendment. The estate of Kurt Vonnegut, author Elana K. Arnold and two unnamed Utah high school students are also plaintiffs.
Here are the other books banned in all Utah K-12 schools:
- “A Court of Thorns and Roses” by Sarah J. Maas
- Reported by Alpine, Davis, Jordan, Nebo and Washington school districts
- “A Court of Frost and Starlight” by Sarah J. Maas
- Reported by Alpine, Davis, Jordan, Nebo and Washington school districts
- “A Court of Mist and Fury” by Sarah J. Maas
- Reported by Alpine, Davis, Nebo and Washington school districts
- “A Court of Silver Flames” by Sarah J. Maas
- Reported by Alpine, Davis, Nebo and Washington school districts
- “A Court of Wings and Ruin” by Sarah J. Maas
- Reported by Alpine, Davis, Nebo and Washington school districts
- “Empire of Storms” by Sarah J. Maas
- Reported by Davis, Jordan and Washington school districts
- “What Girls are Made of” by Elana K. Arnold
- Reported by Alpine, Davis, Jordan and Washington school districts
- “Milk and Honey” by Rupi Kaur
- Reported by Davis, Jordan and Washington school districts
- “Forever” by Judy Blume
- Reported by Davis, Nebo and Washington school districts
- “Tilt” by Ellen Hopkins
- Reported by Davis, Tooele and Washington school districts
- “Fallout (Crank, Book 3)” by Ellen Hopkins
- Reported by Alpine, Davis and Washington school districts
- “Oryx and Crake” by Margaret Atwood
- Reported by Davis, Jordan and Washington school districts
- “Blankets” by Craig Thompson
- Reported by Davis, Nebo and Washington school districts
- “Living Dead Girl” by Elizabeth Scott
- Reported by Davis, Tooele and Washington school districts
- “Damsel” by Elana K. Arnold
- Reported by Davis, Park City and Washington school districts
- “Like a Love Story” by Abdi Nazemian
- Reported by Davis, Jordan and Washington school districts
- “Tricks” by Ellen Hopkins
- Reported by Davis, Tooele and Washington school districts
- “Water for Elephants” by Sara Gruen
- Reported by Cache, Davis and Tooele school districts
- “Thirteen Reasons Why” by Jay Asher
- Reported by Nebo, Tooele and Washington school districts
- “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West” by Gregory Maguire
- Reported by Davis, Tooele and Washington school districts
- “Nineteen Minutes” by Jodi Picoult
- Reported by Davis, Tooele and Washington school districts
- “Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky
- Reported by Davis, Tooele and Washington school districts
- “Bag of Bones” by Stephen King
- Reported by Davis, Granite, Jordan and Tooele school districts
- “Breathless” by Jennifer Niven
- Reported by Davis, Granite and Washington school districts
- “The Carnival at Bray” by Jessie Ann Foley
- Reported by Davis, Granite and Washington school districts
- “The Handmaid’s Tale: The Graphic Novel” by Margaret Atwood
- Reported by Davis, Granite and Washington school districts
- “Red Hood” by Elana K. Arnold
- Reported by Davis, Granite and Washington school districts
- “Looking for Alaska” by John Green
- Reported by Davis, Jordan, Tooele and Washington school districts
